A flashback to Oklahoma City bombing

By Marcy Heinz, CNN

Updated 11:40 AM ET, Fri April 19, 2013

Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims96 photos

Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People pause at the memorial site in Copley Square on April 30 in Boston. The city continues to return to normalcy with Boylston Street fully reopened and businesses back up and running after two weeks of closures. See all photography related to the Boston bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Running shoes are among the mementos left as a tribute to the victims of the bombing.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Boston shows its resilience and heart with signs of support for the marathon bombing victims, including this cover from the new issue of Boston magazine.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Law enforcement officials enter St. Patrick's Church in formation prior to the funeral for Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier in Stoneham, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, April 23. Collier was allegedly shot and killed by Boston Marathon bombing suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev on Friday, April 19.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Members of many different law enforcement agencies walk in formation into Collier's funeral at St. Patrick's Church on April 23.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – President Barack Obama observes a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, in the Oval Office in Washington on Monday, April 22. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick asked his state and beyond to honor the victims at 2:50 p.m., the time of the first explosion.

Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Nurse practitioner Maureen Quaranto, who treated victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, wears her Boston Marathon jacket during Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Sunday, April 21, in Boston.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – From left, Boston Police Department Superintendents Kevin Buckley and William Evans attend the Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross with Police Commissioner Edward Davis on April 21.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Photos of the deceased are displayed at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on April 21, the first Sunday since the Boston Marathon bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Boston Police Department Superintendent William Evans, right, kneels during the service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on April 21.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Parishioners gathered for a morning service at the Redeemer Fellowship Church on April 21, just a few blocks from the crime scene on Franklin Street where major police activity occurred on April 19 during the manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in Watertown, Massachusetts.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Leaders of an interfaith service participated in a vigil at the memorial for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, near the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston on April 21.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Crowds gathered to participate in an interfaith memorial service with leaders from six churches at a makeshift memorial for victims near the site of the Boston Marathon bombings at the intersection of Boylston and Berkeley streets on April 21.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – The makeshift memorial honoring the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions on Boylston Street continues to grow as onlookers gather on April 21.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Nicole Collier Lynch, center, sister of slain MIT police officer Sean Collier, hugs a Wellesley police officer during a vigil at the Town Common in Wilmington, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 20. Collier, 26, was shot multiple times in his car on Thursday night as Boston Marathon bombing suspects Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan tried to evade capture.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A woman holds an American flag at a makeshift memorial on April 20, near the scene of the Boston Marathon explosions.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People gather at a makeshift memorial for victims on April 20.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victimss – A flag decorates the memorial on Boylston Street in Boston on April 20.

Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Items hang from a barrier Saturday at the makeshift memorial near the site of the Boston Marathon bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Huntsville, Alabama, residents hold a prayer vigil on Friday, April 19, for those lost and injured in the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Three people died when two bombs went off Monday, April 15, near the finish line. View photos from the attacks.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A man rings a bell at the vigil in Huntsville on April 19.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Two women embrace during a candlelight vigil in Somerville, Massachusetts, for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing on Thursday, April 18.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People hold candles as they listen to a speaker during a vigil in Somerville, Massachusetts, on April 18.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – President Barack Obama talks with Massachusetts General Hospital staff on April 18 while visiting patients injured in the terror attack.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A man at the BoMA restaurant across the street from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston watches President Obama speak on television at the cathedral honoring the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 18.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People watch President Obama at Cathedral High School in Boston on April 18.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A running shoe and U.S. flag are part of a memorial on the Boston Marathon route on April 18.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at the interfaith service for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, on April 18.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Mourners filled the cathedral in Boston on April 18 for the the interfaith service.

Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A flag flies at half staff on April 17 near the scene of the Boston Marathon bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – First lady Michelle Obama takes part in a moment of silence for victims of the bombings at the Boston Marathon during a bill-signing ceremony at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Flowers, running shoes and other items are left in memory of Chinese graduate student Lingzi Lu, who was killed during the bomb explosions on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Joy Liu, 23, puts a green hat with a shamrock and a note with the words "From Boston and Beijing with love. RIP" at the memorial for Lu.

Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Brooks Orpik of the Pittsburgh Penguins shows his support for Boston with a sticker on his helmet during the Penguins' game against the Montreal Canadiens on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A moment of silence was held for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings before a hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People pray during a vigil held by the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 17 to show support for those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Dennis Seidenberg of the Boston Bruins observes a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings before the start of an NHL hockey game in Boston against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, April 17. It was the first sporting event held in the city since the bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A man places a message for the victims of the Boston bombings at a memorial site in Boston on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Prior to an April 17 service at Marsh Chapel on the Boston University campus, members of the clergy walk past a memorial for graduate student Lu Lingzi, who was identified as the third person killed in the terror attack. Previously identified were Krystle Campbell, 29, of Arlington, Massachusetts, and Martin Richard, 8, of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Danielle Cerroni writes a chalk message on the street on April 17 at the scene of the explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano observes a moment of silence for victims of the Boston bombing during a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A woman looks at memorials left at the scene of the Boston Marathon explosions.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A man and woman leave after visiting the makeshift memorial on Boylston Street on April 17.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A mother and daughter hold one another during a vigil in memory of 8-year-old Martin Richard of Dorchester at Garvey Park in Boston on Tuesday, April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A crowd holding candles gathers during a vigil on April 16 at Garvey Park in Boston for 8-year-old Martin Richard of Dorchester, who was killed in the marathon bombing.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People gather in Boston Common on April 16 for a candlelight vigil for victims of the bombings in Boston.

Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Emerson College students embrace one another at the vigil on Boston Common on April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Attendees hold candles in honor of the victims at an interfaith service at Arlington Street Church in Boston on April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A woman uses her hand to keep wind from her candle as she stands with others around the pond in the Boston Public Gardens after a candlelight interfaith service at Arlington Street Church on April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Mourners gather on the edge of the pond in the Boston Public Gardens for a candlelight vigil on April 16.

Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Students from the Clifden Academy hold an American flag and candles during a vigil on April 16 in Dorcester, Massachusetts, in honor of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the bombings.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People walk along the barricade at Boylston Street on April 16, following yesterday's bomb attack on the Boston Marathon.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – On the shared porch of their home in Medford, Massachusetts, on April 16, Colleen Howe, left, and Lisa O'Leary grieve for their neighbor, Patty Campbell, who lost her daughter Krystle Campbell in the bombings.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Nicole Rand, left, who ran the marathon, embraces with her mother, Maureen Joham, on April 16 as she recounts her experience in Boston.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Attendees of the vigil sign a large poster in honor of the victims of the bombing on April 16.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Mourners hug one another during a vigil for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings at Boston Common

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A man carries balloons, flowers and flags to a memorial for victims on April 16, just blocks from the scene of the bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – American flags hang from a barrier on April 16 at a roadblock staffed by National Guard soldiers at the end of Boylston Street near the site of the bombings in Boston.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Mike Vitale, who lives in the Boston area, prays beside a makeshift memorial at a roadblock at the end of Boylston Street.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Emerson College students Rachel Ferullo, left, and Kathryn Waxman at a vigil on Boston Common for victims of the bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Runners Judy Adler, left, and her daughter, Rachel Schapiro, embrace during a moment of silence at the Baptist Health South Florida Brickell Run Club event organized on April 16 in Miami in honor of victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Five-time Boston Marathon runner Jose Sotolongo, center, reacts during a moment of silence at the Baptist Health South Florida Brickell Run Club event in Miami on April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers stand for a moment of silence for the bombings at the Boston Marathon before their game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on April 16 in Uniondale, New York.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Members of the Boston Red Sox observe a moment of silence before their game against the Cleveland Indians on April 16 in Cleveland.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – People walk Boylston Street where memorials have been set up to the corner of Berkeley after the barricades were moved back on April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – A woman prays at a security gate near the scene of the bomb attack where visitors have congregated on April 16. See the aftermath in Boston.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – From left, Boston Marathon runners Tammy Snyder, Diane Deigmann and Lisa Kresky-Griffin embrace at the barricaded entrance to Boylston Street near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 16.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Two young girls leave flowers on the steps outside the home of 8-year-old Martin Richards, who was killed in one of the explosions at the marathon.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Several former Heisman Trophy winners, including former Saints running back George Rogers, right, observe a moment of silence for the bombing victims Tuesday before working on a Habitat for Humanity home in New Orleans.

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Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Traders observe a moment of silence on Tuesday before the opening bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston Marathon tragedy – The flag above the White House flies at half staff on Tuesday, April 16 in Washington.

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Nation mourns Boston Marathon tragedy – The Minnesota Twins stand during the national anthem before their game on Monday, April 15, in Minneapolis, following a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

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Nation mourns Boston Marathon tragedy – President Barack Obama makes a statement about the bombings in the White House briefing room on Monday.

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Nation mourns Boston Marathon tragedy – Players and fans observe a moment of silence before the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors NBA game in Oakland, California, on Monday.

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Nation mourns Boston Marathon tragedy – A U.S. flag flies at half staff at the Capitol on Monday after House Speaker John Boehner ordered flags to be lowered.

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Nation mourns Boston Marathon tragedy – Fans pause for a moment of silence before the NHL game between the Phoenix Coyotes and the San Jose Sharks on Monday in Glendale, Arizona. See the world reaction to the attack.

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Photos: Nation mourns Boston bomb victims – Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim stands during the National Anthem following a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing before the game against the Minnesota Twins on April 15, 2013 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. See all photography related to the Boston bombings.

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Story highlights

Marcy Heinz: Boston Marathon bombing brought back memories of an April day in 1995

Heinz: The Oklahoma City bombing left many residents in shock and grief

She says Oklahomans feel sympathy for Bostonians and for those who were killed

Heinz: Despite the bombings, we are not victims; we are survivors, and we have thrived

When the two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, I was reminded right away of another April day torn apart by violence.

April 19, 1995, began as a calm, clear day in my hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I was a young college student at the time, aspiring to be a journalist.

I was driving to work when I heard the news. Just then six Oklahoma State Toopers cars screamed past me, racing towards downtown. I went numb. This was my home. Things like this didn't happen here.

In the days after the bombing, I contacted my family and friends to make sure they were safe. I also sought out survivors like Jennifer Robinson, who was living in the Regency Tower, which was a few short blocks away from the target of the bombing, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. She was just getting up for the day when the blast rocked the entire area, shattering windows and spreading debris.

Marcy Heinz

"It scared me to death. I have no idea if everyone got out of my apartment building," she told me. The blast left her homeless and without a car. I spoke with Robinson again a day after the attack in Boston, and she said the marathon bombing brought back memories of the Oklahoma bombing. Other fellow Oklahomans that I knew felt the same way, including journalist Clytie Bunyan, who was in the post office across the street from the Murrah building when the bomb detonated.

"It's safe to say that [the] explosions in Boston don't sit well with people here," Bunyan said. "People here have moved on with their lives, but naturally we remember our pain when things like this happen. And April is still a difficult month for some."

We felt a deep sense of loss and grief and came together in solidarity and support. People stepped forward and offered to help.

Like Maj. Chris Fields of the Oklahoma City Fire Department, who had been on the scene for just 20 minutes when police officer John Avery found 1-year-old Baylee Almon in the rubble and handed her to Fields.

Almon was one of the 19 children who were lost that day and the images of her little body carefully cradled in Fields' arms became an enduring symbol for many. Eighteen years later, Fields watched some of the coverage from Boston at his fire station in Oklahoma City and says the images struck a familiar cord.

"9/11 was a different scale, but this being right in a downtown area and you know, this hit a lot closer to home than 9/11 did," Fields said. When he saw interviews with the first responders in Boston, he noticed that they answered questions the way he did that day.

"The images they saw were what I saw," he said.

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Oklahomans have never been the kind to dwell on the past, but we won't forget the 168 people who died in the blast on April 19 and those who bravely survived. That day does not define us, even if it has become a part of our story. Through the years, we have moved on. We are not victims. We are survivors, and we have thrived.

Fields reflects that healing in the wake of a terror attack like Oklahoma City or Boston takes a lot of time.

"It took a while," he said. "I've done some counseling. It will never be just another day, but now I don't dread it like I used to. It's not something you forget, and it's going to be with them for a long time. If you think you might need help, talk to somebody about that. That was something I did wrong. My heart goes out to them."

He adds that the definition of "normal" changed for Oklahomans after the attack. Maybe Bostonians would feel the same way.

But despite what we've gone through, we are resilient, strong, and we won't let the actions of the perpetrators get to us.